47 Ronin Gets A Director

Published on November 18, 2009 by Alex Wagner · View Comments

fortysevenronin2[1] Being a massive Kurosawa nut and a fan of samurai films in general my ears always prick up at the slightest mention of anything remotely samurai-esque. 47 Ronin has been skulking around Hollywood for awhile now and it seems finally a director is attached to the project.

The surprising thing is that we aren’t talking a big name director here. 47 Ronin has always been pitched as a huge future release with a big budget and high production values.

So more than a few eyebrows were raised when the name mentioned for the project was Carl Erik Rinsch.

Rinsch has been on Hollywood’s radar for some time now having impressed with his work on commercials. His distinct visual style had impressed many important people in the industry and it looks like he has been rewarded with a shot at the big time.

He had impressed Ridley Scott so much initially that his name was originally attached to the Alien prequel until Ridley decided to take on directing duties himself.

47 Ronin is a historical actioner set in 18thCentury Japan and is about a group of samurai swordsmen (probably 47 of them) that set out to avenge the death of their master. It is based on a very famous true story.

So far so good but like with most things in this crazy world there always seems to be a downside. In this case it is the fact that Keanu Reeves is set to star in the film. Correct me if I’m wrong but what’s wrong with an actual Japanese actor here? I know the film probably needs a big name star to counter balance the small name director but the idea of Keanu pretending to be a Japanese swordsman makes me a little bit sick.

Also, concluding that there will be 47 ronin to cast, I can’t help wondering if 46 white guys will be standing alongside Keanu on the big screen when the film is finally released.

Sort it out!